The Best New Happy Hours and Booze Specials in Houston

With the official start of summer just a week away, June 21 to be exact, restaurants and bars around town are rolling out new deals for boozing this summer. Here are ten new (or drastically updated) happy hours and booze specials you'll want to check out in the days ahead. They range from casual to upscale affairs, with neighborhood spots and downtown after-work hubs included.

Here's where to seek out a cheap drink after work (or maybe even at lunch).

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Hello, after-work crowd. The original downtown brick-and-mortar location of the globally inspired taco shop Fusion Taco just launched a happy hour. Specials include $3 tacos, $3 draft beer and a selection of wines for $5 a glass. For Taco Tuesdays, happy hour now runs ALL day.

As a reminder, Fusion Taco — Heights has a full bar and offers happy hour Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., with $3 tacos (dine-in only), $3 frozen margaritas and more specials too.

With summer on the horizon, new citrus-forward cocktails are accompanied by a new happy hour at this Houston hub for all things casual food and drink. Try the zesty Sunset Punch featuring Bombay Sapphire East, rose, lemon, cucumber and raspberry, or the refreshing Cantaritos with Pura Vida Reposado, Chango Loco Espadin, orange and grapefruit.

Of course this riotous new beer hall and garden has a great happy hour to boot. Come on, there is even beer served in a boot. Though the happy hour menu changes, currently it features $5 German drafts and there's always a menu of $5 bites, including the signature Slow Dough beer pretzels.

The spot also rocks a reverse happy hour from 10 p.m. to midnight on Thursday.

Bobby Heugel's secret, upscale boozing hub, tucked inside The Pastry War, has just launched a Highball Happy Hour with half-off all Japanese highballs (Japanese whisky and soda). The bar encourages reservations and seating is limited, so do expect to be put on a wait list if it's busy.

Dollar-off beer and tap cocktails abound at this new Heights mecca for all things casual dining from former Triniti chef Ryan Hildebrand. Outdoor games and covered picnic tables abound, as does live music on the weekends. In terms of happy hour drinks, there's a pretty great selection to choose from with 40-plus beers on draft and in bottles and tap cocktails including a watermelon mule, a margarita and house rum punch.

Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m.

An English Garden at Starfish is a floral high note among the martini selection.

At this new martini and seafood hub from Cherry Pie Hospitality, which does boast one of the snazziest oyster bars in town, a new happy hour features $1 Gulf oysters and $2 East Coast oysters along with $5 martinis, craft brews and a house old-fashioned.

From June through August, Johnny Mandola and his team will complement customers' meals by rolling out bottles of wine from their vast selection for half off. Any bottle, any day for lunch or dinner. Now that's a summer deal we can get behind.

Half-priced wines are also the name of the game on Wednesdays only at Tony Vallone's upscale Memorial eatery, which also boasts some pretty great appetizers, including lobster nachos and mini tuna tacos, for those not looking to get into steak and pastas. Any bottle is half off on Wednesdays through June 30.

The restaurant also rocks a pretty solid happy hour as well with $5 snacks including calamari, meatballs and corn ravioli, $5 glasses of select wines, $2 off well drinks, and $5 off select bottles every Monday to Friday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and all day Sunday in the bar and bistro area.

In addition to a huge new menu revamp, this Upper Kirby hub's brand-new happy hour menu features $7 margaritas, a variety of shots for $5, select beers for $3, tacos from $6 and more food in the $4 to $9 range. Try the blue corn masa cake, tlacoyos de frijol y nopales ($6), topped with refried black beans, cactus pad salad and crema, or the canasta de chicharrón, cracklins, for $4.

SUCCESS!

Looking for the best happy hour in town? Head to this new boozing compound in the Heights, from the masterminds behind Wooster's Garden. Some of the finest cocktails in Houston, especially for whiskey nerds, can be found at the cocktail den, Worcester's Annex, though there are some low-proof sippers as well. The entire cocktail list is half off during happy hour. Across the ample outdoor space sits Heights Bier Garten, where you'll find select craft brews for $3 and half off all wines as well.

Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.

Gwendolyn Knapp is the food editor at the Houston Press. A sixth-generation Floridian, she is still torn as to whether she likes smoked fish dip or queso better.